'Prince Harry prime kidnap target in Iraq'

LONDON: Insurgents in Iraq will attempt to make Prince Harry, the third in line to the British throne, as their prime kidnap target when he arrives in the war-torn area to be deployed as a troop leader of the UK Army, according to a commander of Iraq's biggest Shiite militia.

"One of our aims is to capture Harry. We have people inside the British bases to inform us on when he will arrive," Abu Mujtaba, who commands a unit of around 50 men active in the Mahdi army, the Shiite militia loyal to the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, was quoted as saying by the 'Guardian'.

In comments denounced by British defence sources as 'blatant propaganda', Abu Mujtaba said, "We have a special unit that would work to track him down, with informants inside the bases."

"Not only the Mahdi army will try to capture him, but every person who hates the British and the Americans will try to get him, all the Mujahideen in Iraq, the al-Qaeda, the Iranians all will try to get him."

According to the daily, Abu Mujtaba has a number of men under his command as well as weaponry including rockets, but there is no independent evidence to substantiate his claims that militias have infiltrated British bases, or established a unit to target Prince Harry.

Abu Mujtaba was quoted as saying, "For me he is just a British soldier and he should be killed if he comes to Iraq, but let's be realistic, we will make the British come to their knees and talk to us."

A senior Iraqi defence ministry official said that militias could over-run Basra relatively easily because they had successfully infiltrated local security forces.

"When the Brits formed these forces they depended on these militias for lists of recruits," he said.

Responding to the threats against Prince Harry, a British defence source said, "This is blatant propaganda from those who aim to tear Iraq apart. These threats will not prevent British forces from doing their vital work of building up the Iraqi security forces and helping them to face down those perpetuating violence against the Iraqi people."

The Ministry of Defence said that Prince Harry's deployment on a six-month tour to south-eastern Iraq with his regiment, the Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry, was under 'constant consideration'.

"It remains our intention that Prince Harry will be deployed as a troop leader," it said.

Blues and Royals are part of a mechanised brigade to be deployed next month. They will carry out reconnaissance using armoured cars.

Reports that an attack by a roadside bomb on an armoured vehicle in Maysian province last week that killed two British soldiers was a 'dry run' for an attempt on the Prince's life were treated with skepticism by senior defence sources.

However, it was the first time British soldiers have been killed in that type of vehicle in south-eastern Iraq by hostile action and security has been stepped up in the areas where the Blues and Royals will be based.